This is Chrissie Hynde. Her face will be familiar to you if you are a fan of the punk rock sounds of the ‘80s band, The Pretenders. If you aren’t familiar with Hynde, that’s okay, let’s catch you up to speed: Hynde is a victim of rape who, in her new book, writes, “If you don’t want to entice a rapist, don’t wear heels so you can’t run from him,” which has led to her infamy of being a victim blamer.
After headlines blew up with Hynde’s name, she took to The Washington Post to address the issue and is as unforgiving as you’d expect.
She says, “If you don’t want my opinion, don’t ask me for it.” The thing is, was anyone asking for her opinion in the first place? When you write a book about your life, it is of your own doing; therefore placing the blame on others isn’t fair. But, Hynde wouldn’t understand, since she is notorious for doing just that.
She does reach a moment of clarity during the interview, saying, “I wouldn’t expect most people to do some of the stuff I did. But then again, most people don’t get to be a rock star, either. We have to walk the plank. I don’t think that’s a sign of intelligence, I don’t know what it is a sign of. I’m not saying I was asking for it.”
Hanging out with bikers isn’t asking for it. When these bikers took advantage of a helpless woman by raping her, the last thing she should do is say she was asking for it, so it’s nice to hear Hynde acknowledge this mistake.
But then she loses it again by mentioning how her situation was different than “walking down a street in the middle of a nice evening and somebody dragging you into a bush with a knife in your throat.”
Going to hang out with a biker gang, while ill-advised, is nothing short of making a decision to go for a walk or do any other sort of activity. When you make a decision to do something as simple as take a walk or hitchhike or whatever, you’re doing so because you need to gain something like exercise or a ride into town. To assume that these instances will lead to a negative outcome is ridiculous. We should all just stay inside if that’s the case.
Nobody asks to get raped, and it seems Hynde refuses to believe otherwise (in a fashion typical to many victims of rape). We sympathize with you, Hynde, and want you to remember that it wasn’t your fault, and it never will be.
Image via Facebook.
Read more on Bust.com:
Chrissie Hynde Says Her Rape Was All Her Fault…And If You’re Asking For It, It’s Yours Too
11-Year-Old Blamed For Her Own Rape, Accused Of Being ‘Promiscuous’
The Runaways’ Manager Was A Rapist, And In 1975, Nobody Cared
